The present invention relates to an inclined conveyor for a combine harvester, also simply known as a combine.
Combines are equipped with an attachment that is provided with a reel for picking up the harvested material, and a transverse screw conveyor disposed behind the reel that compresses the harvested material and conveys it toward the center to an inclined conveyor, which is disposed in a channel member and conveys the harvested material into a threshing apparatus of the combine.
Inclined conveyors of the aforementioned general type are known, for example, from DE 17 73 257, DE 602 22 881 T2, DE 10 2005 027 841 A1 and DE 10 2004 036 183 A1. These inclined conveyors are provided with at most two endless pulling means that extend parallel to one another and that are guided about a lower pulling means guide and an upper pulling means guide, whereby the upper pulling means guide is driven. The pulling means are interconnected by cleats or coupling strips that are disposed transverse to the pulling means, whereby the coupling strips are secured to the pulling means by suitable securement means, for example bolts or rivets.
According to the state of the art, endless chains are used as pulling means. In the literature, e.g. DE 10 2004 036 183 A1, it is mentioned that instead of the conveying chains belts or cables could also be used as pulling means. However, to date such pulling means have not found their way into practice, probably because they do not have the long-term tensile strength required for inclined conveyors.
It is an object of the present invention to provide assistance in this respect, and to provide a belt that has an adequate long-term tensile strength for use in an inclined conveyor.